News

Panera, Chick-fil-A, Papa Murphy's receive Award of Excellence

Chick-fil-A took the No. 1 spot for excellent quick-service restaurant chains of the 148 ranked in the Sandelman & Associates Quick-Track 2014 Awards of Excellence study.

February 11, 2015

Chick-fil-A took the No. 1 spot for excellent quick-service restaurant chains of the 148 ranked in the Sandelman & Associates Quick-Track 2014 Awards of Excellence study, according to a press release.

The study ranked QSRs based on customers' ratings on a five-point scale of their most recent visits to fast-food chains. They also rated chains they visited recently by 16 customer satisfaction attributes. Awards of Excellence are based on the proportion of participants who rated QSRs at a five, a score of "excellent." About 100,000 consumers participated in the study.  

Papa Murphy's came in at number seven for the "Large Quick-Service" category; Chipotle ranked number four, followed by Panera Bread and Zaxby's. Starbucks slid in at number nine, tying with Culver's.

In the top ten category for all chains, Chick-fil-A once again took the number one spot, followed by In-N-Out Burger at number two, Capriotti's at number four and Firehouse Subs sliding in at number eight. Take a look at the rankings below:

The 2014 Top 10 Excellent Fast-Food Chains (Overall Satisfaction)

Top 10 Quick-Service Restaurant Chains (all chains)

1. Chick-fil-A
2. In-N-Out Burger
3. The Habit Burger Grill
4. Capriotti's Sandwich Shop
4. Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers
6. CC's Coffee House
6. Café Zupas
8. Café Rio Mexican Grill
8. Five Guys Burger & Fries
8. Firehouse Subs

Top 10 Large Quick-Service Restaurant Chains (500+ units)

1. Chick-fil-A
2. Five Guys Burger & Fries
2. Firehouse Subs
4. Chipotle Mexican Grill
5. Panera Bread
6. Zaxby's
7. Papa Murphy's
8. Jersey Mike's Submarines
9. Culver's
9. Starbucks

"It's easy to see why fast-casual chains are putting so much pressure on traditional fast-food chains. Almost all of the Top 10 best-rated large chains are fast-casual QSRs," said Bob Sandelman, CEO and founder of Sandelman & Assoc, in statement. "These fast-casual chains are stealing share from their larger counterparts by providing tasty food that's perceived to be prepared with higher quality ingredients in cleaner, more attractive restaurants."